MacWorld 2011 is now in San Francisco

Today was the first day exhibits at Macworld 2011 in San Francisco.

Of course I was there...this year with Joanne and Linelle.

The crowds gathered outside the exhibit hall in Moscone West waiting for the 10 a.m. opening.

Some did a bit of shopping at the MacWorld boutique.



The show is quite small this year and what we saw most of was cases and other accessories for the iPhone and iPad.

The only really big company exhibiting was HP with some interesting wide format printers and some intriguing digital cameras. I'm going to further investigate the model with the touch screen.

There also were a lot of companies selling photo software and apps. Linelle purchased a suite of programs that simplify the tedious editing steps that Photoshop can do.

And there were some amusing products such as a truck that runs around a Vinyl record and plays its music! At almost $100, it was too expensive for Linelle to buy for her dad, a vinyl collector.



We were amused by works of art created with the backs of iPhones and iPads.




Software for the iPad to record you while you are sleeping, presumably to determine if you snore or not and to signal you or your partner to tell you to stop also intrigued us.

My favorite iPad case was by Lostdog from BlueTrek. When I get an iPad, it will be on my list for accessory purchases.

A highlight of the show for me was the iPhone Life Magazine booth. Last year, I took home a complimentary copy of the magazine and became a subscriber. They were at the show again this year and I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with one of my favorites of the magazine's writers, Todd Bernhard. If you haven't read iPhone Life, be sure to pick up a copy at the show.

All told, we spent a bit over three hours and did the entire show. I wouldn't have missed it, but there were few new discoveries. The show is smaller than it was last year. I still miss the days when Apple participated in MacWorld and when I could spend several days there and still not attend all the presentations that interested me.

For lunch, we left the exhibit hall and walked a few blocks to 'Wichcraft for some delicious made-to-order sandwiches.



'Wichcraft has other locations in New York City and Las Vegas. It was started by celebrity chef and head judge on Top Chef, Tom Colicchio. They also serve salads and soup; a good choice and a good value for an informal, high quality breakfast or lunch when attending an event at Moscone Center or when shopping in the San Francisco Centre.

SPRING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER

NO, my daffodils are not in bloom yet, although some Narcissus and Iceland Poppies are, but I couldn't resist showing off this beautiful bouquet of daffodils that a friend brought to our house the other day...he also brought lunch!! Now this is the kind of friend we all should have.

At any rate, on this day when temperatures were well below zero in Boston, where much of my family lives, I can't resist sharing these cheerful daffodils with you.

My local Trader Joe's and Whole Foods stores have been selling bunches of daffodils for the past few weeks. Buy them all closed up to maximize their time in your home. It took my bouquet three days to look like this, with a few opening each day.

Spring is just two months away!!!

ANNUAL LOBSTER SPECIAL @ WC YACHT CLUB!

January is a traditionally slow month for restaurants.

For many many years (as long as I can remember and I've been a customer since they opened in 1997), the Walnut Creek Yacht Club has offered a lobster dinner for the price of the year. So, this January, a 1 1/4 lb. Lobster, with Regatta Fries (garlic fries), Cole Slaw, and Drawn Butter (no substitutions) is priced at $20.11! Your only choice is whether you want your lobster boiled or broiled.

Drinks, appetizers, other side dishes, and desserts are extra.

Every year we go and this year was no exception.

And, every year, we all have lobster and a lot of fun.





The four of us shared Fried Calamari to start (no photo) and the Commodore's Sundae for dessert.

Sharing the huge sundae for dessert was a good plan; it consists of Chocolate Ice Cream, Vanilla Ice Cream, Chocolate Sauce, Caramel Sauce, Whipped Cream, Toasted Almonds, and two Cherries. Yum!



You are not required to have lobster, even in January, at the Yacht Club. In fact, if you want lobster any time of year, including January, you must request it at least a day before your meal there. All the fish at the Walnut Creek Yacht Club is fresh and the selection varies daily. It's my favorite seafood restaurant in Contra Costa County.

If you do want to take advantage of the January lobster special, you have until January 31. Reservations are a must!

Note: the Yacht Club is closed on Sunday.

Bon Appetit!

FANCY FOOD SHOW WINTER, 2011: MY IMPRESSIONS

Today was the first day of the Winter Fancy Food Show. It is in San Francisco at Moscone Center for two more days, through Tuesday, January 18, 2011.

Harriet & I go just about every year. I go to get feeling for food trends for the coming year.



It's a great show, filling both the North and South Halls of Moscone. At just about every booth there is food to taste. Harriet and I just walk every aisle tasting and chatting at any booth that catches our fancy.

Many booths give samples of the foods they are featuring but attendees are not supposed to remove food from the exhibit halls. It seems that small packaged samples are not a problem and these are what I came home with.



While the booths are beautiful and filled with an abundance of food and food accessories, I noticed fewer packaged samples to take away, with some booths telling visitors that they could only take one piece of candy or a single tea bag. Not a problem for me but different from the past for sure.

We always start at the cheese section. At 10 a.m., I can't handle sweets, of which there are always many, but cheese, gives me energy and there are always unique cheeses to taste.



Sections of the exhibition halls are dedicated to foods from different states and countries.



A few of the booths that I thought photo-worthy include Soy Vay's



And Jelly Belly"s, who this year featured works of art made from Jelly Bellies. This is a Jelly Belly rendition of "Starry Night."



One exception on the lack of giveaways was Republic of Tea who was introducing a line of 14 loose teas. They gave a travel tea press to anyone who was willing to stand in line for one.




And in it, was your choice of tea which was freshly brewed. Of course, I waited in the line which moved pretty quickly and I know I will enjoy using it in my car where I often enjoy a cup of hot tea that I carry from home.

So what intrigued me at the show? These are just some of my observations:

• Horseradish and Wasabi are turning up in dips and salad dressings.

• There are more snack foods and they are getting healthier: nuts, whole grain munchies, and lots of savory popped snacks: popcorn, popped potatoes, and more popped foods. Many snack foods are in small, serving-sized packages. I even discovered squeezable Peanut Butter & Co. peanut butter in 1.15 oz. Squeeze Packages.

• Greek yogurt from many traditional yogurt companies.

• Sea Salt remains an accent ingredient in unexpected foods such as caramels and chocolate. Even such traditional candy makers such as Ghirardelli now have a Sea Salt Chocolate Bar called "Intense Dark Sea Salt Soirée."

• Flavored teas. For hot beverages, tea booths significantly outnumbered coffee booths. One of the most "amusing" teas I sampled was Trump Tea, a line of premium teas from none other than Donald Trump...some of the blends include "Union Square," "Park Avenue," "Westchester," and "Mar-A-Largo." What more can I say?

• Crackers...Just about all the Cheese booths are using 34° wafer crackers as a platform for their cheese samples. I discovered these crackers at Whole Foods last month and continue to enjoy them. They obviously are a hit. 34° has its own booth too. There was lots of lavash too, including flavored lavash.

• Fish Spreads. There were several made with Smoked Salmon, but the one I liked the best Was Ruby Bay Smoked Mahi-Mahi Spread from Acme Smoked Fish Corporation.

• Granola! Who'd have thought after all these years of eating granola that it would be turning into a "new" trendy food? Well, certainly the people exhibiting at the show! I must have passed by at least a dozen booths touting one or another form of "healthful" granola...not that there's anything wrong with it...